List of IPL Centuries: Every Hundred and the All-Time Leaders

A century in T20 cricket is a rare and precious thing. With only 120 balls in an innings and constant pressure to score quickly, reaching three figures requires a near-perfect blend of timing, power and game awareness. Through the end of the 2026 season, nineteen IPL campaigns have produced 125 centuries in total, and they have arrived far faster in recent years than they did in the tournament’s early days.

The list of IPL centurions is topped by Virat Kohli, who has nine hundreds to his name, more than any other player in league history. Behind him sit Jos Buttler with seven and Chris Gayle and KL Rahul with six each. This article covers every major record in the IPL centuries list, from the first hundred ever scored to the modern era’s six-hitting spectacles.

The First IPL Century

The very first match of the IPL produced the very first century. On 18 April 2008, Brendon McCullum smashed an unbeaten 158 for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. His innings, which came off just 73 balls and included 10 fours and 13 sixes, announced the IPL to the world in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.

McCullum’s 158 not out remained the highest individual score in IPL history for five years. It set the template for what T20 batting could become and remains one of the most famous innings ever played in the format.

Chris Gayle’s 175: The Greatest T20 Innings Ever

In 2013, Chris Gayle produced the innings that still defines the outer limits of T20 batting. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India, Gayle smashed 175 not out off just 66 balls, with 13 fours and 17 sixes. It remains the highest individual score in IPL history and in all of T20 cricket.

What made the innings even more remarkable was its speed. Gayle reached his hundred in just 30 balls, the fastest century in IPL history, a record that still stands. The innings also powered RCB to 263 for 5, which stood as the highest team total in the IPL for over a decade. Nobody has come close to 175 since, and the knock is widely regarded as the single greatest batting performance in T20 history.

Players With the Most IPL Centuries

Virat Kohli leads the all-time list with nine IPL centuries, all scored for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. What the total hides is how unevenly they arrived: four of the nine came in the 2016 season alone, in the space of a single month, and he then went two full seasons without another. His ninth century came in May 2026, an unbeaten 105 against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Jos Buttler sits second with seven centuries. The England batter scored four of them in the 2022 season alone, equalling Kohli’s single-season record, and his brutal hitting at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals made him one of the most feared openers in the league. Chris Gayle and KL Rahul have six each, while Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill have five apiece.

The 2016 Season: Kohli’s Year of Hundreds

The 2016 IPL season belongs to Virat Kohli in a way no single season belongs to any other player. He scored four centuries in the tournament, a single-season record that stood alone until Jos Buttler matched it in 2022. Kohli’s hundreds that year came against Gujarat Lions, Rising Pune Supergiant, and Kings XI Punjab, and he finished the season with 973 runs, the highest aggregate in IPL history.

What made the feat extraordinary was the context. Kohli was carrying an RCB side with a fragile bowling attack, and his hundreds were not just personal milestones but rescue acts. The 2016 season remains the gold standard for individual batting dominance in the IPL.

Fastest and Slowest IPL Centuries

Chris Gayle’s 30-ball hundred in 2013 remains the fastest in IPL history. The next-fastest hundreds belong to the modern power-hitters: Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s 36-ball century for Rajasthan Royals against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026 was the fastest of that season and announced the teenager as a generational talent.

At the other end of the scale, the slowest IPL centuries were jointly recorded by Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli, both reaching the milestone in 67 balls. Pandey’s hundred came for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009, making him the first Indian to score an IPL century, while Kohli’s patient hundred showed that even in T20 cricket, there is more than one way to reach three figures.

Centuries by Team

Royal Challengers Bengaluru lead the team charts with 20 centuries scored by their players, more than any other franchise. This is a direct reflection of the batting firepower the franchise has assembled over the years, from Gayle and de Villiers to Kohli and du Plessis.

Only four players have scored centuries in consecutive IPL matches: Shikhar Dhawan, Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. It is one of the rarest feats in the tournament and a mark of a batter in the form of his life.

The Modern Era: Centuries Are Getting Faster

In the early years of the IPL, centuries were genuine rarities. The 2008 season produced only a handful. By the mid-2020s, the tournament was producing double-digit hundreds every season, with 14 centuries scored in the 2026 campaign alone. Flatter pitches, better bats, fearless young batters and the impact-player rule have all contributed to the surge.

The 2026 season illustrated the new era perfectly. Alongside Suryavanshi’s 36-ball hundred, KL Rahul smashed 152 not out against Punjab Kings, the highest individual score of that season and the highest by an Indian in IPL history. The century is no longer the preserve of a few greats; it is an expectation every season.

Memorable IPL Hundreds Beyond the Records

Some centuries are remembered for their drama rather than their speed. Shane Watson’s unbeaten 117 in the 2018 final for Chennai Super Kings, played through a bleeding knee, won his team the title. Wriddhiman Saha’s hundred in the 2014 final for Kings XI Punjab came in a losing cause but remains one of the great final innings.

Rishabh Pant’s 128 not out for Delhi Daredevils in 2018, scored as a 20-year-old, announced his arrival as a superstar. Heinrich Klaasen’s brutal hundreds for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the mid-2020s continued the tradition of overseas batters lighting up the league. Each of these innings added a new chapter to the IPL’s rich batting history.

Who has scored the most centuries in IPL history?

Virat Kohli has scored the most IPL centuries with nine, all for Royal Challengers Bengaluru between 2008 and 2026. Four of them came in the 2016 season alone.

What is the highest individual score in IPL history?

Chris Gayle’s 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013 is the highest individual score in IPL history. He reached his hundred in just 30 balls, also a record.

What is the fastest century in IPL history?

Chris Gayle’s 30-ball hundred against Pune Warriors India in 2013 is the fastest century in IPL history. The fastest in the 2026 season was Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s 36-ball hundred.

How many centuries have been scored in the IPL?

Through the end of the 2026 season, 125 centuries have been scored across nineteen IPL campaigns, with the rate of hundreds increasing sharply in recent years.

Who scored the first IPL century?

Brendon McCullum scored the first IPL century, an unbeaten 158 for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the tournament’s opening match in April 2008.

Which team has the most IPL centuries?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have the most IPL centuries as a team, with 20 hundreds scored by their players through the 2026 season.